Sloppy IronPigs Drop Twin Bill

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs dropped a pair of games – both by scores of 4-0 – to the Syracuse Chiefs Monday night, looking lifeless at the plate and sloppy in the field – hardly the image of a team that could be playoff bound.

No one looked worse than number one Phillies prospect Domonic Brown, who had the worst day of his professional career. Though he was charged with just one error, Brown misplayed four fly balls in left field and went 0-for-6 for the doubleheader, striking out all three times he batted in the second game.

The one error Brown was charged with was costly, leading to four unearned runs in the first inning of game two off of IronPigs starter Brian Bass.

Chiefs’ leadoff hitter Roger Bernadina hit a routine fly ball to left, which Brown inexplicably dropped. A hit, an error on a pickoff attempt, another hit, a walk and a bases clearing double by the Chiefs’ Corey Brown, and the game’s ultimate final was on the scoreboard by the middle of the first.

Brown misplayed another fly ball into a double in the top of the fifth, though it proved to be of no consequence to the score.

Brown had opportunities to redeem himself. In the bottom of the first, he was at the plate with one out and Kevin Frandsen on third base. He struck out.

In the fifth, he came up with Frandsen on first and Cody Overbeck on third and two men out. But after he waved meekly at an 0-2 curve ball, and boos from frustrated Coca Cola Park fans rained down furiously on the 24-year-old, IronPigs manager Ryne Sandberg threw in the towel and removed Brown in a double switch.

Brown also misplayed two fly balls in the first game, one of which became a run scoring double in the first inning.

Syracuse pitcher Tom Milone was the main story of the first game. The International League leader in strikeouts was perfect through the first 4 1/3 innings, striking out six IronPigs. He finished a five-inning outing giving up just one hit and two walks.

The IronPigs managed just eight hits through the 14-inning doubleheader, as their playoff aspirations are beginning to fade, with just six games left to play.

While the Pigs were swept, the Pawtucket Red Sox split a doubleheader with the Yankees in Scranton, giving them a two-game lead over Lehigh Valley in the International League’s Northern Division.

Meanwhile, the Pigs dropped into a tie with the Gwinnett Braves for an IL wild card playoff berth. The Braves beat the Durham Bulls 2-1 on Monday night. However, the Braves are one game ahead of the Pigs in the loss column.

The Pigs play a standard nine-inning game against the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees tonight at 7 p.m., with Nate Bump on the mound against David Phelps. Wall calendars for the first 7,000 adults through the gates.